Calcium aluminate cements (CACs) are an attractive class of binders that find use when rapid strength gain, high abrasion resistance and resistance to acid attack may be desirable. These binders are additionally utilized independently, and in combination with ordinary portland cement (OPC) and calcium sulfates, when rapid setting and shrinkage control may be desired. In spite of their attractive properties, on account of their cost (higher cost compared to OPC) and moreover their susceptibility to “conversion,” CACs remain marginally utilized in construction applications. The conversion phenomena relevant to CACs are linked to their temperature dependent progress of chemical reactions and evolutions of phase balances. Specifically, at short times and at ambient and sub-ambient temperatures, the formation of stable hydrates, C3AH6 and microcrystalline AH3-x (where the x denotes variable water content), is preceded by the formation of metastable hydrates, CAH10 and C2AH8 (and amorphous AH3-x), which, in time, convert to the stable phases. This phase conversion, which induces an increase in an overall porosity of a resulting CAC product, causes reductions in strength that can adversely impact the applicability and reliability of CACs.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the embodiments described herein.